Ghost Ship
by ICRepresentative
Summary: An attack by Spaniards separates Jack Sparrow from both his beloved ship and wife. But neither Squirrel nor the Pearl are giving up that easily. One of my patented JackSquirrel fics.
1. Forever A Ghost Ship

**Disclaimer**: POTC belongs to POTC, and the title 'Ghost Ship' appeared in my head before I even knew there was a movie already called that. I saw Ghost Ship. **It was so lame!**

* * *

It wasn't the first time the Pearl had been boarded. It wasn't the first time the crew was fighting for their lives. But this time it seemed that this was the first time that the crew were losing. 

Swords clashed, cannons boomed, pistols roared. Squirrel looked around her, wide-eyed, her heart beating like a live fish brought into the air. A pirate loomed behind her, cutlass raised. She turned to face him, snarling. But it was only Jack.

"We can't hold them off!" The captain roared over the noise of the battle. He pulled her down behind some barrels, out of line of pistol-fire. The pair exchanged glances.

"Is he safe?" Jack whispered, breathlessly.

Squirrel nodded. "I hid him."

The worry on Jack's face disappeared into a grin. "Good." The smile vanishes again. "And what about you?"

The young woman frowned slightly. "I'm fine, Jack."

Jack shook his head. "You should stay hidden. I don't want any of these bastards to find you." He places a hand on her shoulder, tenderly. Lovingly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Squirrel raised a teasing eyebrow. "I think I've got a pretty good idea."

Jack pulled a face, then rose up and dived back into the fray.

"Take care of yourself, Jack." Squirrel whispered after him. _I know what you'd do, Captain Jack Sparrow. But I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you._

There was little time to let thoughts wander, though. The battle was getting worse. Squirrel clambered up onto the barrels and scrabbled up the rigging. Some pirates saw her, or rather, a figure in a grey cloak, climbing out of the battle. Some cheered, some shouted curses, and others took advantages of their opponents' momentary lapse in concentration. Squirrel shut her eyes as she climbed. So much death.

She crouched in the crow's-nest, listening to the battle, visualising everything. Thousands of questions assailed her. _Was he safe? Was he still alive? Why hadn't she told him she loved him just one more time? Was he still hidden? How many of our own crew are dead?_ Squirrel shut her eyes and mumbled under her breath, trying to calm herself down.

More than a year ago, she would've been down there with them, fighting the enemy pirates that seemed to have come from nowhere and everywhere at once. But now there were other factors to consider. In such a short time she'd grown up, and learnt the wonders - and the dangers - of being a pirate. Squirrel's thoughts were interrupted by shouts from below.

"Is that all of them?"

"No, there's still one."

"Where?"

"Up there, up in the rigging."

Squirrel's heart leapt to her throat. She heard Jack scream and curse and threaten, and realised: _We lost._

"Oi!" Someone was shouting to her now. "Come down out of the rigging, laddie, and we won't 'urt you." Squirrel would've smiled if she wasn't so panicked. She'd been mistaken for a boy many times before. She'd also been called a grey ghost, or a wraith, but that was a long story.

Squirrel answered the summons. "Parley! Set the crew free and I'll come down!"

There was sniggering from below. Jack shouted a muffled warning.

"Very well, me son, the crew is free. Now come on down and let Captain Paolo see your face."

Squirrel muffled the sound of her pistol being loaded by shouting back. "I don't think you want to do that, mate."

After a pause, the captain replied. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Because I'm bad luck!" Squirrel leapt over the edge of the crow's-nest and aimed. Fired. Swung down the ropes, back and forth like an ape from South America. Threw her pistol back into the crow's-nest and continued to swing.

She'd killed one of the enemy pirates. The crew were bound and gagged, but cheering nevertheless. Jack was surrounded by pirates' swords, but he still managed to grin.

"You'll regret that!" Captain Paolo raised his pistol. Squirrel watched him with one eye as she swung back and forth. But the enemy pirate did not fire. He kept his pistol trained on her. Waiting. Waiting for the opportune moment.

Squirrel looked back down at the crew, putting together a quick plan in her head. She's have to free some of the crew, Jack first because of the way they were guarding him, and then probably Mister Gibbs because he still has a small knife he keeps in his shoe…

The rope she was swinging on became tangled, and the girl looked up and gave a squawk of alarm. She was pulled in the opposite direction suddenly, and as she reached for another rope, some of the rigging fell, twisting around her. Soon, she was caught, like a fly in a spider's web. She struggled. Her cloak was tangled too, riding up around her face. She kicked, trying to break free of the tangle of ropes that were tightening around her torso. And her neck.

A gunshot. A rope snapped, and the heavy bundle of rope and cloak fell, then hung, spinning slowly in mid-air. Squirrel's legs shuddered, and began kicking frantically. Her hands went under her cloak, reaching for her neck. Seconds passed, and the frantic kicking of the girl caught in the rope slowed and slowed and … stopped.

Captain Paolo tucked his pistol back into its holster and surveyed his prisoners. "Get these scum aboard the ship!" He ordered his crew, "Take everything of value that you can find!" His crew obeyed unquestionably. The crew of the Black Pearl stared at the still body of Squirrel, even as they were lead away. No-one spoke. They all just stared silently, unbelieving.

This wasn't the first time Squirrel had 'died'. Jack kept watching her, hoping that she'd wake up and climb down from the rigging, and smile her gentle shy smile. But the grey-cloaked girl was still, and spun gently in the breeze.

"I think," Captain Paolo said to Jack's tear-stained face, "This could be the first time that a pirate has hung on a ship, no?"

Jack said nothing.

"Leave the body!" Captain Paolo roared to his crew. "Leave the ship!" He grinned at Jack. "No longer will the Black Pearl be the most infamous in the Caribbean! Leave it to sail the waters, forever a ghost ship!"

A breeze stirred the black sails of the Pearl. But it did not move Squirrel's silent form.

* * *

**A/N**: I know, I know, I'm an evil murdering bitch. Shutup and wait for the next few chapters. You should know by now I kick-start everything with angst and/or death. 


	2. It Can't Be

**Disclaimer**: POTC not mine, but me wish it be so…

**A/N**: Due to the overwhelmingly emotional reviews I have received, I have decided to update earlier than usual. Watch me go.

* * *

The Black Pearl drifted silently, at the mercy of the wind. Timbers creaked. 

Somewhere below decks, there was the sound of child crying.

Squirrel opened her eyes and gasped for breath. She tugged at the rope around her neck. It was fast, knotted tightly. She smiled wearily. If her cloak hadn't gotten caught and twisted, she would've really danced the hempen jig. Even so, it was hard to play dead for an hour in the sun, waiting, listening until the sound on the enemy vessel had faded into nothingness. Squirrel kicked again, trying to break free. But the ropes were thick, and refused to move. Squirrel sighed, then pulled out her knife and began sawing away at one of the ropes. Ropes were hard to come by, and a pirate learned to make things last, to never damage anything that could be reused. After what seemed like ages, the rope gave way, and Squirrel slid down to the deck below. After taking a few grateful breaths of air, she looked up.

Her cloak had decided to stay up in the rigging, and swung in the breeze like an empty shell. Like a body. Squirrel shuddered, then hurried below decks.

"Quiet now, baby." She sang as she made her way to the galley. The cries came from behind crates of salted meat that the enemy pirates had overlooked. Squirrel scared away the rat that had woken her son, then picked the child into her arms. "Mummy's here, baby. Shh, sleep now. It's all right."

The boy squirmed, reaching for his mother. Squirrel sat down on one of the benches and sighed heavily. Jack was gone. The crew was gone. All the valuables, all the necessities - gone. The Black Pearl was a sitting duck. And what could one woman do?

"Go back to sleep, baby." She cradled the boy in the crook of her arm and pulled the makeshift cradle down from its hiding place. "Sleep, and dream of great things."

The boy stared, wide brown eyes radiating innocence, then yawned. Squirrel placed him gently back into the cradle and tucked him in. She carried the sleepy baby above decks, into the captain's quarters, Jack's quarters, where she set the cradle down carefully, tenderly.

"Don't worry, Johnny." She stroked her baby's pale curls and smiled as he tucked his thumb into his mouth. "We'll get Daddy back." Her voice dropped below a whisper. "We have to."

Squirrel staggered back on deck, her eyes blurred with tears. Despite the reassurances to her child, she couldn't see how she'd be able to do anything. Jack was gone… they would kill him. The crew would all die. Squirrel choked back a sob. It all seemed hopeless.

"Girl, what are ye sobbin' fer? There's enough salt water in the bilges as it is!"

Squirrel's head snapped up, and she slowly turned to face the helm. It wasn't possible.

But Anamaria glared back down at Squirrel. "What are you looking at, Grey?"

Squirrel continued to stare, the tears drying from her eyes. "Ana?"

Ana snorted. "Aye, who else would it be?"

Squirrel shook her head, trying to clear her eyes. _This is a dream. I'm hallucinating._

"Come on, girl!" Ana barked. "We've got a ship to catch! And with Jack not here and you being all tragic and _useless_ - sorry, but it's true - I'm in charge. Think you can take orders from me for a change?" Ana grinned teasingly.

Squirrel cautiously climbed the stairs towards Anamaria. "How?" She managed to squeak. "You… You're…" _No, don't think about that. Don't think abut how Ana…_ "There's no wind! They're smaller than us, faster than us… We'll never be able to catch them, and they've been gone for hours!"

Ana said nothing. She looked up at the black sails of the Pearl. Squirrel shivered, then stared. The sails were billowing, as though they were full, and the ship itself sounded like it was straining, like a dog at a leash, to move forward, even though the anchor was raised and nothing - nothing physical, anyway - was holding it back. Ana looked back at Squirrel and winked.

"Shut your eyes, missy." She said kindly. "Shut your eyes and listen."

So Squirrel did. She heard the sound of the sea, the creaking timers, the wind, the flapping sails, the wash of the ballast and bilge… and underneath it all, there was something else. Squirrel listened harder, scarcely able to believe it. She'd never heard it before, even after all her time on the ship. It was a humming, a subtle energy that manifested itself in a soft sound, like a song.

"What is it?" Squirrel asked, her eyes still closed.

"It's the ship." Ana replied simply. Squirrel opened her eyes slowly. Ana still leaned on the steering wheel. The Negro woman nodded, the grin gone from her face. "We're all here for you, Miss Grey." Ana waved a hand, indicating the deck and the sails… And, Squirrel got the feeling, something more. "So stop your fretting, or else!" Ana grinned, then rasped in a poor imitation of Jack, "Savvy?"

"Aye." Squirrel nodded, and managed a smile.

"Good." Ana smiled back, then scowled. "So get to work!"

Squirrel saluted, and laughed. Ana laughed along, if only for a while, before barking out orders.

**

* * *

A/N:** If you're wondering about the relevance of the baby's name - yes. Named after Johnny Depp. No duh. It was my friend's idea to call Jack's son 'Johnny'. After I wrote Squirrel, she wrote two fics of her own. So I wrote Squirrel 2 to catch up. 

And Squirrel's not dead. Happy? I bet you are. :D


	3. Doomed

**Disclaimer**: POTC belongs to someone defiantly richer than me.

* * *

The Pearl roared through the waves, sending up huge cascades of foam. Squirrel stood on the prow, as far forward as she could, squinting into the spray and the wind, scanning the horizon for any sign of Paolo's ship. There was nothing on the horizon. 

Yet Ana seemed to know precisely where to go.

Squirrel looked down, at the angelic form of the Black Pearl's figurehead. Squirrel had always wondered about that bird the angel held in her hands. Was it a dove of peace? Or a sparrow of freedom?

"Jack once said that he'd only let a woman aboard his ship if she was easier on the eyes than Pearl was." Anamaria's voice carried over to Squirrel. "Looks like you passed the test, missy!"

Squirrel smiled, but did not laugh. Nothing was making sense anymore. The Black Pearl was moving practically on its own accord. A sudden wind had come out of nowhere to only fill out the Pearl's sails, and not even ruffle the ocean surface. Anamaria was reading Squirrel's mind. _Anamaria_ was _here_.

Squirrel shook her head. "How much longer till they come into sight?" She called.

"Not much longer!" Ana laughed back. "Take a look for yourself!"

Squirrel picked up the telescope that rolled across the deck and held it to her eye. There was Paolo's ship, a tiny merchant vessel that housed only half the number of pirates that were aboard the Pearl, yet ten times the ferocity and desperation. Spaniards. Squirrel's lip curled in a sneer. She did not hold the Spaniards in high regard. Especially since they were often the ones responsible for cursed treasure.

"We're catching up." Squirrel said softly, lowering the telescope. As if reacting to her words, the Pearl rushed forward. Squirrel lost her balance, and clung to the railing for support. As she did so, she looked down.

The sweeps, the wide, strong oars that took three men each to lift them, were cutting through the water, faster than she'd ever seen them move before. Squirrel's eyes grew huge.

"What?" Anamaria called over, "You think we're the only ones aboard?"

Squirrel managed a weak smile, but her blood was running cold. She looked up, into the rigging, as she made her way towards Anamaria. Her cloak was still there, and the tangle of ropes inside it gave it the appearance of a body. Squirrel put a hand to her chin, considering it, trying to forget the fear that sped through her.

"I take it you've a plan to get everyone back aboard, Miss Grey?" Ana said gently. Over the roar of the spray and the splash of the sweeps and the bellowing of the wind, Squirrel laughed.

Below decks, the cannons rolled into position, and the cannon ports raised and tied themselves into place.

* * *

Inigo was listless. This usually happened after a fierce battle when he never got to kill anyone, or at least give them a badly bleeding wound. He was a swordsman, and a fighter! He wanted glory, honour, a good bloody battle now and then… Join up with the pirates, they said, see the world, they said… Inigo sighed, then scanned the horizon. 

He couldn't stand the sea. All that depth, the blackness, the unknown critters that lived there… It made him nervous. But he couldn't let anyone else know that. They wouldn't listen to him anyway. They were all getting plastered. Like they did after every successful raid. Inigo thought this last point over briefly.

There weren't that many successful raids nowadays. The Royal Navy was coming down on pirates, and coming down hard. With a sigh, Inigo turned to head down to his bunk to try and get some sleep.

As he turned, he saw something which made him cry out in alarm.

A ship! On the horizon! Chasing after them in broad daylight! Inigo fumbled in his pockets, looking for his telescope. Was it a Naval vessel? Or just another pirate ship?

It was another pirate ship. Inigo felt his jaw drop and his heart stop.

_Short drop sudden stop._ The cloak of the dead pirate swung in the breeze.

It was the ship they'd raided only a few hours ago! And it was gaining on them! But how? The crew of that ship were all below deck, locked in the cells of the cargo hold… Weren't they?

Inigo hurried to the lifeboats. Like all pirates, he was superstitious. And like all pirates, he was a rat. And rats always abandon a doomed ship.

**

* * *

A/N**: Yes, I know the chapters are short. It's a short fic. Breathe in and out, people.  
Hugs for all reviewers and for people who leave thank-you notes and candy. A short and painful death for those who 'Add To Favs' without saying so. That annoys me no end. ARR! 


	4. Dead Men Tell No Tales

**Disclaimer**: POTC is my best friend. Next to The Singapore Twins Nerwen and Tinuviel, that is (They went back to America. It makes me sad…)

* * *

Squirrel watched the Spanish ship. She saw a lifeboat slowly pulling away from it, and smiled. 

"Someone saw us coming, Miss Grey!" Anamaria called, as she struggled to control the eager ship. "Do we let him get away?"

"For now." Squirrel said softly. "He can't get very far in a lifeboat."

Anamaria cackled. The ship creaked and rushed forward. Squirrel readied her short sword.

* * *

"Inigo! Inigo!" Someone staggered drunkenly across the deck. "Capitan wans you beloow. Say he wannnsss to talk to yooo…" The drunken pirate threw up, but staggered on. "Inigo? Where is ye? Ini…" 

The pirate fell to the deck, unconscious. Squirrel looked around, sword readied, looking for any others. No-one. Just the sounds of drunken revelry from below. She stepped off the pirate's back and clamped her sword between her teeth.

Ropes are hard to come by, especially for a pirate, when everything must be stolen. Squirrel clambered high into the rigging and started untying the ropes and sails of Paolo's ship. It was hard work, but Squirrel kept going. She gave a grunt of satisfaction as the first sail peeled away, and fluttered down to the deck. Before it landed, however, it was caught by a multitude of hands, neatly folded, and stacked on the deck… On the side closest to the Pearl.

Squirrel grinned, gave Ana a thumbs-up, and then scrambled to the next sail to repeat the activity. Sometimes it was sails that fluttered down, other times lengths of rope. The rope was coiled, the sails were folded and stacked. But by whom, Squirrel was not quite certain.

She took the sword from her teeth and slid down the mast. She looked up at her handiwork. The masts of Paolo's ships stood naked, like three leafless trees. Squirrel smiled, feeling accomplished, then, softly, carefully, she stepped over the unconscious pirate and headed below decks.

* * *

"What in the hel…" 

"Run! Run for y…"

"STAY AWAY! PLEASE STAY AW…"

The scream was cut off short, and the body of the pirate tumbled down the stairs, landing near the cell. The crew of the Pearl drew back, afraid. Not afraid of the now-cataleptic pirate, but of what had been fighting him and the other two guards.

A shadow, cast by the lantern-light, crept along the wall. Whatever it was, it was coming down the stairs. Mister Cotton's parrot squawked nervously.

"Dead men tell no tales! Dead men…"

"You're alive!" Came a familiar voice. "Thank heavens, I was so worried!"

The crew of the Pearl stared through the bars at a familiar face. "Miss Grey?"

Squirrel knelt down and took the keys from the pirate's belt. "We don't have a lot of time." She said, brisk and businesslike. She tested the first key in the lock of the cell. "Paolo's sails and a swagload of ropes are up on the deck. Take them aboard the Pearl. That will leave those damn Spaniards stranded for all the world to see." She tested the next few keys as she spoke. "Then come back down here, and get all this," she motioned with her head towards the piles of cargo, "back onto the ship. And leave all the Spaniards alive, don't go looking for a fight. Just get everything we can onto the ship. Take what you can, give nothing back." She slid the fourth key into the slot and the metal door swung open.

The crew didn't move. They just stood there, staring at her.

Squirrel frowned. "Something wrong?"

"You were dead." Tearlach stared. Gibbs looked as pale as a sheet. Squirrel sighed, then drew her sword.

"I was acting. Again." She said, nicking the blade across her finger. Rosy red blood seeped out. "Look, I'm bleeding. What kind of ghost bleeds?" She looked around, suddenly noticing. "Where's Jack?"

"Paolo has him." Moises said, the first to recover. "After the treasure of Isla de Muerta."

"Not that again." Squirrel rolled her eyes, then slid her sword back in its scabbard. "Well, I'll deal with that. You just take everything you can get, and put it on the Pearl. Got it?"

The crew nodded, then hurried out on deck. Gibbs was the last to leave.

"Bless ye, lass." Gibbs said. He reached out and touched her arm, as though to assure himself that the woman in front of him was still alive.

"Here." Squirrel pulled a leather flagon from her belt. "I found this on one of them. You look like you need it."

"Bless ye, lass!" Gibbs cheered, taking a deep swig. He smiled, then tucked the flagon into his own belt. "Well, best be going to work!" He grinned, saluted, then hurried up the stairs. Squirrel followed him.

"What happened?" Ana whispered, staying out of sight of the other crewmen. "I don't see Jack up here."

"Their captain has him." Squirrel bit her lip.

Ana rolled her eyes. "Isla de Muerta again?"

Squirrel nodded. "I don't know how I'm going to get him out."

Ana passed Squirrel her cloak. "Let their fears get the best of them, then." Ana pressed a short length of knotted rope into Squirrel's hand. Squirrel looked at it, then grinned wickedly.

"Why n-not?"

**

* * *

A/N:** Yes, I ran out of reasons why someone would want to kidnap Jack. But hey, there's a lotta treasure on the Island of Death, so … yeah, it's an excuse that works. Love to all reviewers :D (Ps: Squirrel jumped that drunken pirate. Literally. Like, Toad from Xmen. That's right. Ribbit.) 


	5. Apparition

**Disclaimer**: If I owned Jack, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. Savvy?

* * *

Jack sat silently, not hearing the threats and curses of Captain Paolo, nor feeling the blows from his two bodyguards. 

_She's dead. She's gone._

"Where's the Isla de Muerta, Sparrow? Tell us!"

Jack hung his head, tears still coursing down his cheeks. _She's dead. She's gone._

Paolo swore, and his two bodyguards started pummelling Jack again. A vein rose on the Spaniard's forehead. "Tell us where the treasure is, and we'll let you live!"

"Not all treasure is silver and gold. And my treasure's gone." Jack stares into nothingness. _She's dead. She's gone. She's dead. She's gone. She's dead… She's gone…_

"Dammit." Paolo scowled. "Where's Inigo? He's the best at this." There was a soft knock at the door. Paolo whirled. "Get in here you useless worm!" The door creaked open, obediently. Then there was a soft thud, and the door slammed shut again. The three Spaniards stared, puzzled. One of the bodyguards went over to investigate, and nearly tripped over something on the floor. He picked it up, and turned to face Paolo.

It was a noose. The other bodyguard stifled a gasp.

Paolo sneered. "Inigo! This kind of trick does not become you!" The Spanish captain snatched the noose from a pale-faced bodyguard. "Get in here right now and stop this foolishness!"

There was no response from the other side of the door. Paolo bit back impatient curses, and motioned for his guards to deal with it. The two men, terrified of the unknown, were even more scared of what their captain would do if they failed to obey. They rushed out of the cabin, and the door slammed shut behind them.

There were two screams of fear, followed by two bodily thuds and a peal of mocking laughter.

"Inigo?" Paolo barely hid the tremble in his voice. "Damn ye, Inigo, stop this nonsense! Get in here now!"

The door slowly creaked open. And Paolo saw three things.

First of all, the ship he'd just raided and left at the mercy of wind and water was there, black sails primed, cannons readied, and anchored close enough to his own ship he could spit overboard and hit the Black Pearl's hull. Secondly, there were none of the Black Pearl's crew aboard the ship, but it moved as though hands were steadying the ropes, and Paolo would swear he could hear footsteps as unseen sailors ran back and forth across the decks.

And thirdly, standing in the doorway as the door swung slowly open, was a grey-cloaked figure. The very same one Paolo had seen die up in the rigging.

Jack Sparrow gave a strangled gasp, but Paolo was not able to turn around. Like Jack, his eyes were fixed on the apparition before him. The Spaniard struggled to breathe.

"Hello, captain." The figure intoned. Their hood was low, and Paolo could not see their face. "We've come."

"Come?" Paolo forced a laugh. "Come for whom?"

The figure said nothing, and did not move at all. There was no shrug, no sign of breathing, nothing. Paolo reached slowly for his necklace.

"Back, demon!" He screamed, thrusting the gold-gilt cross at the grey figure. "Back to the dark pit from whence you came!"

The figure lifted their head slightly, and Paolo saw the noose around their neck. "Death is indeed a dark pit, Captain Paolo." The ghost stepped forward. "But I'm not going back without taking my murderer with me."

Paolo dropped to the floor and crawled backwards, whimpering. He passed Jack Sparrow and kept crawling until he hit the wall. "Have mercy!"

The grey-cloaked figure pulled the noose from around their neck and held it in their hands. Paolo noticed how slim and pale those hands were. The figure pulled the hood from off their face.

"Mercy?" The word came coldly from the dead woman's mouth. "What kind of mercy does a killer of women deserve?" If the ghost was going to say anything more, it had no effect on the Spaniard. He was dead to the world.

Squirrel dropped the noose at the unconscious captain's feet, then rushed to Jack's side. He looked at her, unbelieving, fearful.

"Did he kill me then?" Jack rasped. Squirrel kissed Jack's bandana gently, and wiped away the blood from his cut lip.

"No, Jack." She said gently. "We're still alive. Both of us." She smiled. "Come on, Jack, the Pearl's waiting."

Jack frowned. "Both of us? You mean you're not dead?"

Squirrel shook her head. "Not this time." She helped Jack to his feet.

"Besides," she added, "I can't die yet. What would Johnny think?" She reached out and took one of Jack's hands. "If I died, what would happen to everyone who depends on me?" She placed his hand on her stomach.

Jack's eyes widened, and he almost fell over. He leaned lightly on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "You're…"

Squirrel nodded. The life inside her gave another impatient kick. Jack smiled, then grinned.

"Well, you gave me quite a bit of a scare, luv. Honestly." Jack took a deep breath, then looked around. "What about the crew?"

"I already freed them." Squirrel smiled as she helped Jack out of Paolo's cabin. "And we took everything from Paolo's ship."

"How?" Jack asked, clearly impressed.

"I locked his crew in the galley while they were getting plastered." Jack whistled in amazement. Squirrel continued, "And we took all the supplies, rope, and sails that we could carry."

Jack looked up at the naked masts of Paolo's ship and grinned. "You're a born pirate, you are." He frowned. "So, if you were faking it up in the ropes, how did you catch up?"

Squirrel smiled a secretive smile. "Come on, Jack. The Pearl's waiting."

The two pirates reached for the two ropes draped over the deck and swung over onto the Pearl. The ship, as though sensing the return of her captain, turned and sailed away, leaving Paolo's ship far behind, roasting in the late-afternoon sun.

* * *

**A/N**: Ain't over yet, folks! Jousting Elf with Sabre and Sentinel Sparrow, you are welcome to join the crew of the Black Pearl if ye wish! 


	6. Answer The Call

**Disclaimer**: POTC is not my squishy, I cannot call it mine.

* * *

"Come on, luv!" Jack followed her around the deck as she lowered the cannon ports. Squirrel sighed dramatically, loud enough so it would be heard over the sound of drunken revelry from below decks. 

"I had enough trouble taking the Interceptor to Tortuga with Will Turner helpin'! How'd you control the Pearl all by yerself?"

Squirrel smiled, then turned to face her captain. "I wasn't by myself." Her smile became slightly saddened. "I had some help."

"Who from?" Jack said, eyes lighting up. He'd finally got her to answer him.

Squirrel looked out over the sea, then walked across the deck and up the stairs. She leant on the railing and stared at the steering wheel. Jack came up beside her, and stared as well.

Anamaria's sou'wester hung on one of the spokes, as though left there by the owner. It flapped gently in the breeze. Jack put his arms around Squirrel's shoulders, and Squirrel realised there were tears rolling down her face. She sobbed gently.

"Anamaria." Jack smiled. "So you had some help from her, did you, luv?"

Squirrel nodded, then wiped away her tears. "She's still here, you know. Just like a-all the others. And as long as you want to chase the h-horizon, as long as you need freedom, the Black Pearl will always answer your c-call."

Jack and Squirrel stood in silence for a moment, both of them watching Anamaria's sou'wester, then they both turned and went below and see their son again.

A sudden wave sent up a plume of spray as the figurehead of the Black Pearl lead the way through the sea. The timbers creaked, the sails flapped and the crew below sang and drank. But there was another noise. It was a humming, a subtle energy that showed itself in a soft sound, like a song. And in that song echoed the voices of those who had sailed before.

A sudden gust of wind whipped the sails of the Black Pearl, and Ana's hat was dislodged from its place on the wheel. It whisked over the deck, flapping in the breeze, before fluttering out over the sea.

_

* * *

Inigo felt like he'd been rowing for an eternity. But every time he stopped, and looked up, he was sure he could see the dark ship, the one with the black sails, chasing him. Three days and three nights without food or water can make a man hallucinate. Fear can play tricks on the mind. _

_He barely felt his rowboat crash against something. The Spaniard just kept rowing, not noticing the ropes dropping into his boat, nor the figures that slid down them._

"_The Black Pearl." The delirious Inigo muttered through cracked and bloody lips. "Coming. Cursed ship. Ghost ship. Black Pearl."_

_Inigo's oars drew back and forth, even as the boat was pulled into the air and gently swung over the deck of the ship. The crew waited patiently for a moment, waiting to see if the Spaniard would climb out, but when it became apparent he would not, someone roughly overturned the small lifeboat. _

_Inigo sprawled over the deck, woken from his nightmare. He kissed the deck and raised his arms to the sky, thanking his unseen rescuers. _

"_Well, well, well." A woman's voice, mocking and laughing, echoed across the deck and rang in Inigo's ears. "What have we got here?"_

_The Spaniard looked up into the face of his rescuers, managed a frightened and feeble smile, and croaked, "Parley?"_

**

* * *

A/N: **The idea that Ana passes away after Johnny's birth was so firmly stuck in my mind that it's almost become canon in the JackSquirrel-iverse. But yes, she sticks around. The 'spirit-guide', if you will.And three guesses who finds that stinking rat Inigo. I'll give you a hint… she sails on the Salted Slaver… 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!


End file.
